Well control head



Sept. 7,192s. I 1,598,794 A. E. WARREN WELL CONTROL HEAD I Fil ed Jan.26, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 um LL.U k 15 4-. 4

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aw: wsws' A TTORNEY5 Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES AMOS E. WARREN, 0F VENTUBA, CALIFORNIA.

WELL CONTROL HEAD.

-ppliqation filed January 26, 1926. Serial No. 83,782

My invention relates to the class of packing-heads for the control ofwells, and is especially intended for use with. oil wells having a heavygas pressure.

The object of my invention is to provide a device capable of keeping thewell under perfect control during drilling, or while it is being broughtin or while it is a flowing well on production, said device making alloperations in connection with the control of a well, simple,'accurate,and fast.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel control-head hereinafterdescribed, and comprising essentially an improved packing-head memberadapted for connection with the water string in the well, and a novelhead cap member adapted for connection at one end with said packing headmemher, and at its other end for connection with a fluid control member.

The nature of my control head will be fully understood by reference tothe accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a view, partly in sectionand partly in elevation, head as used under the condition of the oilstring being run in at a time when the well starts to flow.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a like condition, but with amodification in the means for landing the oil string on the packingrubber.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showinga condition in which a tubing string isrun in through the oil string.

Fig. iis a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing theimproved packing head member in its primary use in well drilling.Referring first to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 is a packing-head comprising apipe section having an exterior flange 2, an interior packing seat 3,avent 4 and exterior foot threads 5.

6 is a coupling by which thewater-string 7 is connected to the packinghead.

8 is the oil string having a coupling 9.

10 is a packing rubber between the packing-head'seat 3 and the 'oil'string 8, and upon this'rubber the coupling 9 of the oil string islanded.

11 is the, packing-head cap, comprising a pipe'secti'on' having a footflange 12, a hea flange 13, an interior pa'cking'seat 14 and a of theassembly of said vent 15. The flange 2 of the packing head 1, and theflange 12 of the head-cap 11 are secured together by the bolts 16. 17 isthe flange of a member known as the Christmas tree, the function ofwhich is to establish fluid flow connections from the well; and by meansof control valves it can be connected, to flow lines or pumps or both,and thus cause the fluid to flow through small orifices in the usualmanner of control.

The parts as assembled in Fig. 1, show the adaptation of the controlhead attached to a water string, and is for'the purpose of inserting anoil string into a well, without danger of blow-outs between strings ofoasing, and to expedite the immediate capping of the well in case ablow-out should occur through the oil string while the latter is beingplaced in the hole.

This will be better understood from the following explanation more indetail. It should be stated preliminarily that the packing-head member 1has been previously used in drilling the well as will presently bedescribed in connection with Fig. 1, and its use continued up to thetime the oil-string is started into the well, which is the conditionshown in Fig. 1. The vent 4: of the packing head 1 may be supposed tohave flow connections. screwed into it, so that, either while drilling,or while running in the oil string, or at any time thereafter, if a gaspressure should develop, the pressure between the water string andlated.

Assume that the well starts to flow while the oil string is being runinto the well, and that it is therefore necessary to bring the wellunder control. The packing rubber 10 is dropped to its seat 3 in thehead 1, and around the oil string 8. The oil string is lowered andlanded on the packing rubber 10 by the coupling 9. The weight of the oilstring compresses the packing rubber against its seat and the oilstring, and thus seals off the space between the oil string and thewater string.

The head cap 11, previously attached to the Christmas tree by boltingthe flanges 17 and 13 together, as shown at 18, is then lowered andbolted 1, by the bolts 16 through the flanges 12 and d 2. The controlvalves on the Christmas tree (not shown) can now be connected to uponthe packing head 2 flow lines or pumps-or both. Either way that theChristmas tree flow lines are connected upwill permit the well to beplazed under control by causing the fluid to flow through smallorifices. When this is done .the pressure on the well will rise and,therefore, the pressure between the oil string and the waten string willrise, and it may be necessary 'to relieve this pressure through the flowconnections which are screwed into the vent ,4 in the packing-head 1. IEwill, of course, be understood that the vent 15 in the head cap 11 hasbeen. PIGVlOllSlj plugged, as. it is not necessary in this conditiqn ofthe well control.

Thus, in. a simple and direct way, the Well is brought under control.

Referring now to Fig. 2, similar parts to those of Fig. 1 are designatedby like numerals. In the assemblage here shown the condition is suchthat the well has not started to flow, so instead of landing the oilstring on the coupling 9 as in Fig. 1, it is landed on the packingrubber by a steel landing bushing 19 which is screwed into the coupling9. This landing bushing is an added safety measure. It overcomes thepossibility of having the packing rubber pinch the casing hard enough toloosen" the.

coupling 9 as in Fig. 1.- It is made to the same dimensions as the oilstring casing, so that if it later becomes desirable, as will presentlybe seen, to run tubing into the well,

it can be run through this bushing into the oil string.

Referring to Fig. 3, similar numerals again indicate similar partshereinbefore described. In this case the oilstring 8 is landed by meansof the bushing 19, as in Fig. 2. Tubing 20 inserted in the oil string islanded upon a packing rubber 21 in the head cap 11 by a landing bushing22 in the same way. I

After the oil string 8 has been landed, and provided the well is quietor dead, the head cap 11 is flanged on to the packing head 1. Thensuitable connections are screwed into the vent 15 in thehead cap 11,similar to those fitted to the vent 4 of the packing head, and serve asimilar purpose. The tubing 20 is then run in the well and landed an thepacking-rubber 21 in the head cap 11, by

tubing bushing 22, the latter being similar to the landin bushing 19 andserves a like purpose. A er the tubing 20 has been landed, the Christmastree is attached to the head cap 11.

All that then remains to bedone, to bring the-well in, is to make theusual connections to the flow tanks and pumps, and circulate the fluidin the well until it starts to flow.

Referring to Fig. 4, I indicate an initial condition, namely that ofdrilling the well,

in which the packing-head member of my improved and combined device inits several need not be further explained. But I have v for my inventionand to adapt this packinghead for association with and as a constantmember and factor of the combined device in the several situationsdescribed in connec-- tion with Figs. 1, 2 and 3, formed said head withthe exterior flange 2, by which it is enabled to enter the combinationwith.the

head-cap 11 for the variety of purposes and conditions which I have setforth. This control-head, therefore, may be used during the drilling ofthe well, and while it is being broughtin, and while it is onproduction; in short, all the control needed on any well is capable ofbeing exercised by the use of this device.

' I claim 1. A control-head for wells comprising a packing-head memberadapted to be. fitted to a water string in the well,- said member havinga seat on its inner face for a packing rubber, and .a vent in its sidebelow said seat for pressure regulating connections; a headcap member,adapted at one end for connection with a member controlling the fluidflow, and at the other end for connection with said packing-head member;and a packing rubber fitted in said seat for suspendin an oil stringlanded upon it and sealing o the space between said strings.

' 2. A control-head for wells comprising a packing head member adaptedto be fitted to a water string in the well, said member havin a seat onits inner face .for a packing ru her and a vent in its side below saidseat for pressure regulating connections and said member being alsoprovided ,with an exterior flange; a head-cap. member havinga flange atone end for connection with a member controlling the fluid flow, andhaving at the other end a flange for connective association with theflange vofthe packin a head-cap member adapted at one end for connectionwith a member controlling the fluid flow and at the other end forconnection with said packing-head. member, said ing an oil string and aninner tubing string head-cap member having a seat on :its inlanded'uponthem respectively, and sealing ner face for a packing rubber and havingoff the spaces between said strings. 10 also a vent in its side belowsaid seat for In testimonywhereof I have signed my 5 pressure regulatingconnections; and packname to this specification.

ing rubbers fitted in said seats for suspend- AMOS E. WARREN.

